Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Sales

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 26 February (HL1555), when they intend to consult on bringing forward the ending of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2035 or earlier if a faster transition appears possible.

baroness vere of norbiton: On the 4 February the Prime Minister announced a consultation on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible. The consultation was published on 20 February. This follows our manifesto commitment and reflects the independent Committee on Climate Change advice that the phase out date should be 2035 or ideally 2030, and that only battery electric or other zero emission vehicles should be permitted to be sold after this point. As part of this consultation, we are asking what the accompanying package of support will need to be to enable the transition and to minimise the impacts on businesses and consumers across the UK, building on the significant demand and supply side measures already in place. We are already engaging with stakeholders on this issue and plan to conclude the consultation in the summer.

Leader of the House of Lords

Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to arrange a debate on the report into the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme, following its publication on 13 March.

baroness evans of bowes park: My Noble Friend the Government Chief Whip does not intend to schedule such a debate in Government time. Members who wish to initiate a debate of their own are able to do so by tabling a question for short debate. Members can also seek to initiate a debate by entering the ballot for one of the monthly pairs of balloted debates.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Aerospace Industry: Research

lord jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money in total they gaveto the aerospace industry for research and development in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, and (4) 2018.

lord jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they plan to provide to the aerospace industry for research and development in 2020–21.

lord callanan: Industry and Government have made a joint commitment to invest £3.9 billion in aerospace R&D from 2013 to 2026. The Government’s share of £1.95 billion is managed through the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme. An annual breakdown of expenditure and budgets for the years requested is set out in the table below: Fiscal YearExpenditure (£m)Allocated Budget (£m)2015/161261502016/171461482017/181491502018/191401542019/20n/a1502020/21n/a150

Manufacturing Industries: Research

lord jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money in total was proposed for British manufacturing's research and development in 2019; and how much they estimate to provide in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.

lord callanan: The Office for National Statistics estimates that expenditure on R&D performed in UK businesses was about £25.0bn in 2018, of which about £16.3 billion was related to manufactured products. Most of this was financed by businesses themselves. Data for 2019 is planned for release in November. The Government announced in Budget 2020 that it will be increasing overall R&D funding to £22 billion by 2024/24 and further plans will be set out at Spending Review later this year. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the agency that directs research and innovation funding in the UK, supports research into new processes and materials across different areas of manufacturing and supports businesses engaged in R&D through Innovate UK.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for production of a standardised formula for assessing vehicular carbon footprint in manufacture to produce a reliable comparative assessment system for the vehicle market.

lord callanan: Vehicle manufacture is a global industry and consequently, there is no agreed approach that can be used to inform consumers of the comparative carbon footprint of the production of different vehicles. The Government does not currently have any plans to inform consumers about the comparative carbon footprint generated by different electric vehicles in their production. We expect the transition to zero emission motoring to be industry-led, supported by measures set out in our Road to Zero strategy. In 2018, the Department for Transport developed the Transport Energy Model. This was published alongside the Road to Zero strategy to provide a clear assessment of the relative environmental impacts of different road vehicle technologies and fuels. The Model showed that UK battery electric vehicles have substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional vehicles, even when accounting for the energy mix of the electricity to charge the battery, as well as the electricity used for battery production. Electric vehicle emission values are highly dependent on the electricity mix of the country in which the vehicle is charged, and the country in which the vehicle, battery, and other parts are manufactured. Emission values will also vary according to model type, car size, and miles driven. To obtain full environmental benefits, electric vehicles and their batteries need to be manufactured using electricity from carbon-free sources.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Spain: Holiday Accommodation

lord wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Spain about ensuring that adequate safety standards are maintained in Spanish hotels and similar accommodation used by British holidaymakers.

baroness sugg: Our Embassy and network of Consulates in Spain is in regular contact with the relevant authorities, hoteliers' associations and tourism trade bodies in Spain to ensure British nationals can enjoy their holidays safely and responsibly. We work in close partnership with these bodies on our safety campaigns. For example, the Consulate in Mallorca are part of a working group of authorities and tourism sector bodies looking at safety issues.

Immunity from Prosecution: Heads of State

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the immunities given to heads of states from crimes committed in the UK.

baroness sugg: Heads of State enjoy the same privileges and immunities as apply to the head of a diplomatic mission, as provided for by Section 20 of the State Immunity Act 1978, which we will give consideration to as part of our day to day business by reference to specific cases as they arise. Any waiver of the immunity must be made expressly by the sending States.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Mortality Rates

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of mortality from COVID-19 amongst smokers.

lord bethell: Public Health England has not undertaken a specific risk of mortality from COVID-19 amongst smokers.

Coronavirus

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the COVID-19 outbreak, what plans they have to relax the rules on the length of time between when a member of NHS staff retires and when they can join a temporary staff bank.

lord bethell: NHS England is working with its professional leads, the respective regulators, NHS Employers and the Department to determine how best to engage with retirees / leavers who are willing to return to work for a period of time to provide the extra capacity needed to meet the demands of COVID-19.NHS England has been developing with stakeholders a clear and straightforward re-registration process and simplified employment checks. NHS England will identify what training is required to support returners and will develop guidance to help employers to engage with these staff and provide advice and support to all staff over this period.

Doctors: Refugees

baroness finlay of llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many doctors whowere refugees have been registered with the General Medical Council in each of the last three years.

lord bethell: The General Medical Council (GMC) does not hold information on the total number of refugees or former refugees that are on the medical register.The following figures are based on doctors who declared their refugee status to the GMC. 201723201830201948

NHS: Finance

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government which NHS organisations are subject to legal directions; and what in each case is the predicted deficit for the current financial year.

lord bethell: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are the only National Health Service organisation which legal directions can be applied to. There are currently five CCGs subject to NHS England directions. These are NHS Vale of York CCG, NHS Wirral CCG, NHS Cambridge and Peterborough CCG, NHS Shropshire CCG and NHS Southport and Formby CCG.NHS Vale of York CCG planned for a deficit of approximately £19 million, and the latest published forecasts say they expect to meet this plan.NHS Wirral CCG planned to break even, and the latest published forecasts say they expect to meet this plan.NHS Cambridge and Peterborough CCG planned for a deficit of approximately £75 million, and the latest published forecasts say they expect to meet this plan.NHS Shropshire CCG planned for a deficit of approximately £23 million, and the latest published forecast said they would meet that plan.NHS Southport and Formby CCG planned to break even, and the latest published forecast said they would meet that plan.

Health Services: Older People

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to use virtual reality therapy to treatolder people advised to have limited social interaction due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

lord bethell: The Department is exploring how best we can support older people advised to have limited social interaction. There are no plans at present to treat older people in their homes with virtual reality therapy. However we are rapidly expanding our video-conferencing capability and the implementation of remote capabilities underpins many of the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan.

European Reference Networks

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of European Reference Networks in relation to access to medical health expertise, following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.

lord bethell: United Kingdom patients will continue to access the world-leading rare disease clinical expertise in the UK as they do now, and we will continue to collaborate with international experts. The Government continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across the National Health Service and adult social care, and we are working across Government to ensure there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high-quality services on which the public relies following European Union exit.From January 2021, the Government will be introducing a new Points Based Immigration System, in order to attract the brightest and best talent from across the world. To further facilitate the migration of skilled workers to support the NHS, there will be a fast-track NHS Visa for certain medical professionals with NHS job offers, including for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. Details will be announced by the Home Secretary in due course.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Coronavirus

baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to protect the safety of (1) UK health workers, and(2) in-country frontline healthworkers in developing countries, following the outbreak of COVID-19.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government take the safety of healthcare workers very seriously. The COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control guidance has been updated to ensure that healthcare workers are protected and all hospitals remain safe, now and in the future.Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are absolutely essential to ensure all healthcare workers are protected from infection with COVID-19.The UK has announced up to £241 million of aid funding to support the global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19. As part of this, we are supporting the World Health Organisation and UNICEF to strengthen infection prevention and control in health facilities, to protect health workers in developing countries.

Gaza: Coronavirus

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of theimpact of COVID-19 on the population ofGaza.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: There are currently no known cases of COVID-19 in Gaza, however DFID is in close contact with the World Health Organisation should an outbreak occur. There are concerns that Gaza’s already overburdened healthcare system would not be able to cope with a widespread outbreak of the virus, especially given the lack of reliable access to clean water and energy in the strip. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Palestinians: Textbooks

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of school books published by the Palestinian Authority containing incitement to hatred and violence.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in the Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. The UK secured EU agreement to lead an independent review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings by June 2020 and full findings later in the year.The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.

Females: Discrimination

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN Development Programme'sGender Social Norms Index, published on 5 March, in particular of the high percentage of people reported as holding at least one bias against women in relation to politics, economics, education, violenceor reproductive rights.

baroness sugg: These findings are very concerning, but consistent with other evidence. The most recent World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report suggests growing disparity between women and men for a second year running in political empowerment, access to health and education and participation in the labour force.Gendered norms and discriminatory social norms underpin the lack of progress towards gender equality and empowerment of girls and women worldwide.That is why, at the heart of DFID’s Strategic Vision for Gender Equality is a call to action to challenge and change the unequal power relations between men and women, and the negative attitudes and discriminatory practices that hold girls and women back.Rigorous evaluations conducted under DFID’s flagship What Works to Prevent Violence Programme have shown that it is possible to shift social norms within the timeframe of a programme. Approaches that engaged whole communities to challenge harmful norms achieved significant reductions in Violence Against Women and Girls of around 50%.

Department for Education

Children: Social Services

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report commissioned by the Local Government AssociationProfit making and risk in independent children's social care placement providers, published in January.

baroness berridge: The government is clear that the needs of the child are paramount when making decisions about care placements. The child’s safety, suitability and the quality of a child’s placement in care is our priority. As at 31 March and 31 August 2019, 92% of Independent Fostering Agencies and 82% of the active and inspected private children’s homes were judged good or outstanding by Ofsted. We believe that a mix of provision can provide quality and increase placement options for local authorities. The government is taking action to support local authorities in the provision of high quality social care. This includes investing part of our £200 million Children’s Social Care Innovation programme in three projects to improve the supply of placements, and investing an extra £1 billion of new funding for adult and children’s social care to support local authorities meet the rising demand and protect the most vulnerable in society. We have also committed to reviewing the system, so children receive the best possible care.

Training

lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to employers to upskill all workers.

baroness berridge: The government is taking steps to improve productivity, employment levels and social inclusion. Programmes including reforms to technical education such as apprenticeships, funded or co-funded skills provision through the Adult Education Budget, access to Advanced Learner Loans and the National Retraining Scheme enable adults to gain the skills that they need to progress or reskill.The government has started testing the first part of the National Retraining Scheme, Get Help to Retrain, in 6 areas across England. Get Help to Retrain is a digital service that will help users to understand their current skills, explore alternative occupations and find and sign up to training. We will continue to test and further improve the service in 2020.We are also providing an extra £3 billion to develop a National Skills Fund that helps adults to learn new skills and to prepare for the economy of the future. We are planning to consult widely on the fund and will be keen to hear the views of employers.

Higher Education: Admissions

baroness royall of blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Younger of Leckie on 6 November 2018 (HL10959), whether they are now in a position to ensure that higher education providers have access to free school meals data at the start of the undergraduate admissions cycle as part of measures to widen access to higher education.

baroness berridge: Everyone with the talent and capability to succeed in higher education should have the opportunity to benefit from a high-quality university education, regardless of age, background or where they grew up. So that providers are identifying talent in areas of disadvantage, they need to use good-quality and meaningful data. We encourage higher education providers to use a range of measures including individual-level indicators, area data (such as Participation of Local Areas, Index of Multiple Deprivation or postcode classification from ACORN), school data, intersectional data such as Universities and Colleges Admissions Service’s (UCAS) Multiple Equality Measure, and participation in outreach activities. We are actively considering how we can make available free school meals data, taking in to account relevant data protection legislation, and will continue to work closely with UCAS and the Office for Students to this end. In general, we are looking to make data as illuminating as possible. The government believes that every young person with the potential should have the opportunity to access higher education, if it is right for them. A person’s background or start in life should not determine their future.

Further Education: Mergers

the lord bishop of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate local college mergers which (1) are in the interests of learners, (2) build financialresilience,and (3) ensure that provision serves local communities, especially in areas of disadvantage.

baroness berridge: Further education (FE) colleges can sometimes benefit from structural change to strengthen quality of delivery for learners, financial health, or enhance their capacity to respond to local labour market needs. The College Oversight: Support and Intervention guidance (also attached), published in April 2019, sets out how structural change is delivered in the sector. Structural reviews, led by the FE Commissioner’s team and supported by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and department officials provide a means of assessing the structural solutions for a college for the future. Reviews assess potential options against the needs of learners, the long term financial sustainability of potential solutions and consult with key local stakeholders such as local authorities to ensure their views are heard and local circumstances are taken into account. Post-merger support is provided by the ESFA and the FE Commissioner Team to monitor colleges on their performance after mergers have completed.



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The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Coronavirus

lord truscott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what plans there are to ban visitors to the House of Lords.

lord mcfall of alcluith: An initial set of measures to reduce visitor access to the House of Lords and the wider Parliamentary Estate, as part of the Parliamentary response to Covid-19, were introduced from Monday 16 March. These were as follows:No new banqueting bookings to be accepted. Existing bookings taking place from Monday 16 March onwards have been cancelled but deposits will be refunded.No new commercial tour bookings to be accepted. Existing bookings taking place from Monday 16 March onwards have been cancelled but tickets will be refunded.Events in Westminster Hall or in the larger Committee Rooms (known as ‘mass lobbies’) are not being facilitated during the period.In order to limit numbers, APPGs are not to invite non-passholding guests on to the Parliamentary Estate.All pass holders, including Members, are not to bring non-passholding guests on to the Parliamentary Estate who are visiting for non-Parliamentary business-related purposes or for social purposes.Subsequently the Speakers and political leadership agreed further restrictions, which came into force on Tuesday 17 March. These extended to cover the exclusion of non-essential visitors from coming onto the Parliamentary estate, including member tours, school visits, visitors to the galleries of both Houses (save the press gallery), and democratic access tours. Currently, visitors on official business continue to be allowed onto the Estate. This includes civil servants briefing Ministers and committee witnesses.These measures will last until further notice, and the Lord Speaker and political leadership of the House are keeping matters under review.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of their strategy to address homelessnessbetween January 2019 and January 2020.

the earl of courtown: Because housing is a devolved issue, we would advise you to contact the Northern Ireland authorities for information about temporary accommodation in Northern Ireland.The Government is clear that no one should be without a roof over their head. That is why we have now committed to end rough sleeping within this Parliament and to fully enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA).The latest published statutory homelessness data (April-June 2019) offers promising signs regarding the impact of the HRA:Under the HRA more households are being offered statutory support, with more single people receiving help than ever before. 65 per cent of households owed a duty were single households, compared to 30 per cent prior to the introduction of the HRA.Most households at risk of homelessness are having it successfully prevented. 57 per cent of the households whose prevention duty ended in this period secured their existing accommodation or were helped to find alternative accommodation. 40 per cent of the households whose relief duty ended in this period were helped to find accommodation.Local authorities will now receive an additional £63 million in 2020/21 through the Homelessness Reduction Grant to carry out these duties. This is part of a £437 million package to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over 2020/21.In addition, the most recent national figures from the Official 2019 Rough Sleeping Snapshot, showed that the number of people sleeping on our streets on a single night fell for the second year in a row. The number of those sleeping rough on one night in 2019 was 9 per cent lower than the previous year.  This follows year-on-year increases prior to 2018.

Buildings: Demolition

the earl of caithness: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their policy of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, what plans they have to instruct local authorities to refuse planning applications for demolition and rebuilding properties when an existing building can be refurbished to modern standards.

the earl of courtown: Planning permission may be required to demolish a building, but if not required, the applicant may still be required to seek prior approval from the local planning authority before demolition. Where the demolition of one or more buildings is required as part of a redevelopment, details of the demolition can be included in the planning application. This will give the local planning authority the opportunity to consider demolition alongside other aspects of the development including energy efficiency. Where appropriate, the local planning authority may impose conditions on demolition if planning permission is granted.

Sewers

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 9 March (HL1921), whether a housing development is allowed to proceed before additional wastewater infrastructure has been provided.

the earl of courtown: The developer is responsible for providing effective drainage to serve their development and agreeing this with the local planning authority. There is also statutory provision for developers to fund additional sewerage infrastructure required to accommodate flows from a proposed development. If there are concerns arising from a planning application about the capacity of wastewater infrastructure, applicants can be asked to provide information about how the proposed development will be drained and wastewater dealt with; and if they build their development in breach of the permission, they may face enforcement action by the local planning authority.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure good terms for UK fishermen at the end of the EU withdrawal transition period.

lord gardiner of kimble: At the end of the transition period, the UK will be an independent coastal state with rights under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to control and manage the resources in our waters. On 27 February 2020, the Government published the UK’s approach to the future relationship with the EU. The Government is ready to consider an agreement on fisheries that reflects the fact that the UK will be an independent coastal state at the end of 2020. However, any such framework agreement should set out the scope and process for annual negotiations on access to the parties’ exclusive economic zones and fishing opportunities. Fishing opportunities should be negotiated annually based on the best available science for shared stocks provided by the International Council for Exploration of the Seas. The UK will not accept the Common Fisheries Policy’s ‘relative stability’ mechanism for sharing fishing quotas, which is outdated and based on historical fishing activity from the 1970s. Future fishing opportunities should be based on the principle of zonal attachment, which better reflects where the fish live. Negotiations with the EU commenced on 2 March. The Government is committed to securing good terms for fishers in the whole of the UK.

Timber

the earl of caithness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the amount of timber imported annually; and what plans they have to enable England to become a net exporter of timber.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: This spring we will consult on an English Tree Strategy, including measures to support our domestic timber industry.We are working to understand the scope for increasing UK-sourced timber in buildings, and our commitment to increase tree planting will increase the supply of domestically grown timber, reducing current reliance on imports.Increasing the use of domestically grown timber in construction is a goal of the Clean Growth Strategy and 25 Year Plan for the Environment. This can lock up carbon in the long term and create a market for domestic timber.

Home Office

Police: Recruitment

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of police recruitment during the last 12 months.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office collects and publishes data on joiners in the annual police workforce statistics, which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesIn 2018/19, 9,427 police officers joined the 43 police forces in England and Wales, accounting for 8% of officers. Excluding those who transferred from other forces, joiners accounted for 6% of all officers. This was a 16% increase on the previous year and the highest number of joiners in a financial year since 2008/09.The Government is also delivering on the people’s priorities by recruiting 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years. In October 2019 the Home Office confirmed officer allocations for every force in England and Wales in the first year of the uplift.https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-office-announces-first-wave-of-20000-police-officer-upliftThe Home Office has announced plans to publish quarterly updates outlining the progress on delivering the police uplift programme. They will start from April 2020, lasting throughout the duration of the campaign. 



Police Workforce - England and Wales 
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Antisocial Behaviour

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce new powers for police forces to tackle anti-social behaviour.

baroness williams of trafford: It is important that the police and local agencies have the powers they need to tackle local issues quickly and effectively. That is why we reformed the tools and powers available to tackle anti-social behaviour through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. We currently do not plan to introduce any new powers.The powers in the Act are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the circumstances. We keep anti-social behaviour policy under review through the Anti-social Behaviour Strategic Board which brings together key partners.It is for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, as operational leaders and elected local representatives, to decide how best to respond to individual crimes and local crime priorities but to help ensure that the police have the resources they need to do so, we are recruiting 20,000 officers over the next three years.

Hate Crime: Gender

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy concerning the recording of incidents involving the protected characteristic of sexunder the Equality Act 2010 as hate crimes.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics annually on the number of hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, broken down by five centrally monitored strands: race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and transgender identity.Operational guidance for recording of hate crimes is set out by the College of Policing and the latest published guidance is available here:https://www.report-it.org.uk/files/hate_crime_operational_guidance.pdf



Hate Crime Operational Guidance 
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Cabinet Office

Ombudsman

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the ombudsman system.

lord true: The government published a draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill in December 2016, setting out plans to introduce a new Public Service Ombudsman.

Priti Patel

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a report at the conclusion of their inquiry into allegations of bullying by the Home Secretary.

lord true: I refer the noble Lord to my answer on 12th March 2020 to Lord Young of Cookham (Official Record, House Of Lords,Vol. 802. Col. 1158).

UK Trade with EU: Wales

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about the current negotiations fora UK/EU trade deal.

lord true: The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, attended by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and ministers from the Devolved Administrations alongside other ministers, met in Cardiff on 28 January and discussed negotiations with the EU.The UK Government also engaged both with the Welsh Government and the other Devolved Administrations on the UK’s approach to the negotiations ahead of its publication on 27th February and following the first round of negotiations with the EU.The UK Government is committed to working closely with the devolved administrations throughout negotiations with the EU to ensure a future relationship that works in the interests of the whole of the UK.

Treasury

Bank Services

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the steps taken by the banking sector to meet the needs of vulnerable customers.

lord agnew of oulton: This Government believes that individuals, regardless of their background or income, should have access to useful and affordable financial products and services, including a bank account. Basic bank accounts are a key financial inclusion policy, enabling people, including those that are vulnerable, to manage their money on a day-to-day basis effectively, securely and confidently. These are bank accounts that are fee-free for all everyday banking services and have no overdraft facility. The 9 largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer fee-free basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or who are ineligible for a bank’s standard current account. The Treasury publishes data on basic bank accounts annually. The December 2019 publication shows that in total there are nearly 7.5 million basic bank accounts open in the UK. UK banks’ and building societies’ treatment of their customers is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA requires firms to identify particularly vulnerable customers, and to deal with such customers appropriately. This includes older people, disabled people, and those who may lack the capacity to manage their account on their own. Further to this, the FCA recently concluded the first stage of a consultation on firms’ treatment of vulnerable customers and it will be issuing a second consultation in the spring. Protecting vulnerable customers is a key priority for the FCA. While many firms have made significant progress, the Treasury and the FCA want to see this issue being taken seriously by all firms so that vulnerable customers receive consistently fair treatment. The Treasury continues to work with firms and the FCA to ensure that the needs of vulnerable customers are met.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Film

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to promote British films.

baroness barran: The government is committed to ensuring that the UK remains a world leader in film. Last year, the government invested nearly £1 billion through the creative sector tax reliefs, as well as around £70 million in grant in aid and National Lottery funding through our arm’s length body the British Film Institute, in order to support the production, distribution and exhibition of British films, both throughout the UK and abroad. This week’s Budget also allocated £4.8 million to expand the work of the British Film Commission to promote the UK as a destination of choice for studio space investment.

Television: Licensing

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people over 75 years old who will be confined to their homes due to COVID-19; and, in the light of that assessment, what plans they have to postpone the withdrawal of free TV licences for those over 75.

baroness barran: The Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for the government's response to COVID-19 and any assessment of the number of people over 75 years old who could be confined to their homes due to COVID-19. Although careful and scientific consideration is being given to all policy options, no final decisions have been taken over interventions that would require this. The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is a matter for the BBC from 1 June 2020. This reform was subject to public discussion and debated extensively during the passage of the Digital Economy Act 2017 through Parliament. However, the BBC and the government have been discussing the national Coronavirus situation. Changes to the TV licence for people aged over 75 had been due to come into effect on 1 June. But during this time we do not want anyone to be worried about any potential change. The BBC’s priority over the coming period will be to do everything it can to serve the nation at this uniquely challenging time. As the national broadcaster, the BBC has a vital role to play in supplying information to the public in the weeks and months ahead. Recognising the exceptional circumstances, the BBC Board has therefore decided to change the start date of the new policy. The current plan is to now bring it into place on 1 August and the BBC will keep the issue under review as the situation continues to evolve.

Arts

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manyfirms in the creative industry sector formerly based in the UK have relocated to the EU in (1) 2016–18, (2) 2019, and (3) since 31 January 2020.

baroness barran: DCMS does not track this information. Beyond the transition period, the UK has set out its proposals to the EU in a range of areas, making clear that we want a Canada-style relationship, based on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement supplemented by other international agreements.

4G: Rural Areas

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the announcement about thedelivery of 4G mobile signal to 95 per cent of the country on 25 October 2019, how many full 'not-spot' communities in England will benefit from theGovernment's investment in the Single Rural Network.

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the announcement about the delivery of 4G mobile signal to 95 per cent of the country on 25 October 2019,what assessment they have made of the proportion of the population that live in full 'not-spot' communities that will benefit from that delivery.

baroness barran: The Government wants the UK to have high-quality mobile coverage where people live, work and travel, and we are committed to extending geographic mobile coverage further to 95% of the UK, as well as providing an uninterrupted mobile signal on all major roads.Subsequent to the 25 October 2019 announcement, the Government announced on 9 March that it had agreed a deal with the mobile network operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network programme. This will see Government and industry jointly invest to increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the UK to 95% geographic coverage by the end of 2025.While the biggest improvements in coverage arising from the Shared Rural Network will be in Scotland and Wales, there will be improvements across all four nations. 4G geographic coverage in England is currently 97% from at least one operator and 81% from all four operators. As a result of the programme, this will increase to 98% coverage from at least one operator, and 90% from all four by the end of 2025.Today, 97% of UK premises outdoors are covered by 4G data services from all operators, while almost all UK premises have 4G data coverage from at least one operator. The Shared Rural Network will provide guaranteed additional coverage to 280,000 premises across the UK, both in areas that currently have no coverage from any operator, and those that have coverage from at least one operator but not all four. There will also be further indirect improvements over time, including better indoor coverage in around 1.2m business premises and homes.We do not currently have specific details on the precise impact that the Shared Rural Network will have on individual communities across the whole of the UK, including those in England. Exact site deployment plans will be managed by the operators themselves in order for them to best deliver the agreed coverage outcomes. However, we expect that consumers will feel the benefit of the programme long before its conclusion and the operators will consult with communities as roll out plans become clearer.

Data Processing: Public Sector

lord wallace of saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so, when, they will lay before Parliament theFramework for Data Processing by Government document, as provided for in section 191 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

lord wallace of saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to section 191(5) of the Data Protection Act 2018, which other persons may the Secretary of State “consider it appropriate to consult” before preparing the Framework for Data Processing by Government document and laying it before Parliament.

baroness barran: The Data Protection Act 2018 gives the Secretary of State a discretionary power to publish a Framework for Data Processing by Government, which contains guidance about the processing of personal data in connection with the exercise of government functions. The Act requires the Secretary of State to consult the Information Commissioner and other persons he considers appropriate when developing the Framework, and to lay the final version in Parliament before it comes into effect. A laying date has not been set and no decisions have been taken about the nature of any further consultation.